MUSHROOM
DYE & FELTING WORKSHOPS

at

SOMA
CAMP

Jan
17 ~ 19, 2009

Occidental,
CA

This year
SOMA Camp 2009, (sponsored by the SOnoma
County Mycological Assn.)offered
3 classes related to mushroom dyes: "Introduction
to Mushroom Dyes"with Tina Wistrom, " Advanced
Mushroom Dyes/Open Studio" with
Dorothy Beebee. And a new class for this year: "Felting" led
by Marilyn Buss. The idea was to prepare the dyes in the
morning in the Introduction class to also be used by the
2 afternoon Advanced classes.

MUSHROOM
DYEING WORKSHOPS

Tina
Wistrom took the reins in the Introductory Mushroom
Dye Class on Sunday morning. All of our mushrooms were dried
this year since lack of rain precluded finding any fresh
fungi – but folks from all over collected, dried, and donated
fungi.

Dermocybe
semi-sanguineawere collected
by Anna Moore in Florence Oregon,butOmphalotusolivascens,Gymnopilusspectabilis,Phaeolusschweinitzii,and Pisolithus
tinctorius were all collected
ahead of time in Sonoma County and the Bay Area.

And
then along came Noah Siegel with a collection of Dermocybe
semi-sanguineafrom the sandy pine
barrens of Cape Cod , MA. which inspired a spur-of-the-moment "Dye-Off" project
for the workshops!

We
used the what I am calling the “Alaskan Method” (see the
dye webpages on Cordova, Alaska) with these Dermocybes –
wide mouth canning jars, stuffed with mushrooms, water and
our premordanted fiber samples, all sitting and getting “canned”
in a simmering water bath of a large enamel canning kettle.

This
method works so well with Dermocybes,
because we really do not want these red dyebaths to boil
– which will change the dye from red to brown.

In
both classes, with this experiment we had 2 jars each of “West
Coast vs. East Coast” mushrooms with labeled wooden skewers sticking
out of each jar. We only used the caps from each
batch of mushrooms intending to do a similar experiment comparing
dyes from the 2 sets of stems later (we never did get around to
it…) The results were distinctly different – the dye from the Cape
Cod “semis” having a more orange-red hue and the Oregon “semis”
produced a deeper scarlet-red. Discussion between Anna and Noah
on Monday, seemed to confirm by their field descriptions of mushrooms
and habitat that they had collected the same species,…. but maybe not,
since the dyes were distinctly different. A more tightly controlled
experiment at a later date is definitely something to be looked
forward to!!!

Dermocybe
semi-sanguinea from Cape Cod,
MA

Dermocybe
semi-sanguinea from Florence,
Oregon

These
experiments were repeated with similar results (freshening the
pots with additional fungi), in the“Advanced
class/Open Studio” which emphazied “unusual fibers”,
rather than just the alum and iron premordanted wool and silk samples
that we used in the Introductory class. including the same mushroom
dyes, but using Soy-silk, Mohair,
unspun Tussah silk roving and unspun local Sonoma
County natural grey wool. These are the fiber samples
that are shown in the photos below.

Dyes
on Soy silk, unspun Tussah silk, mohair and local Sonoma County gray
wool from our experiments in the "Advanced class" with Dermocybe
semi-sanguinea mushrooms that Noah Siegel collected
in the Cape Cod area. Note the orange hue at the base of the stipe
AND the more orange shades of red apparent in the dyes hues. Is it
possible that we have 2 different sub-species of the mushroom? More
research is needed!

The Gymnopilus
spectabilis mushrooms that we used
were collected earlier in the Autumn when they were fresh,
we dried them all. They give the brightest hues when they
are fresh, just like the Phaeolus
schweintizii.

We
had some really fresh "gooey" and some very dried, powdery Pisolithustinctorius specimens,
the combination of which resulted in very intense bronze, gold, and
deep rust dyes on all our fiber samples, with plenty of pigment left
in the dyebath over for many, many "afterbaths" for the "dye
your own" part of the workshop! (See silk shirts below...)

Anna Moore in an old sand-dune habitat in coastal Oregon, and the other was
brought by Noah Siegel.

After
the samples were all done, then it was "Do-it-Yourself-Dyeing" time
when the participants premordanted and dyed their own yarns, silk scarves
and shirts. Independent and creative experimentation reigned for rest
of afternoon!

FELTING
WORKSHOP

Marilyn
Buss is an enthusiastic student of mushroom dyeing and felting. She
led a workshop on FELTING this
year for the first time at SOMA Camp, incorporating dyed yarns and
fleece from the morning mushroom dye workshop.

Ten
people participated in the felt-making workshop and made bowls or bags
using a technique of seamless felting around a form.

The
felt works were decorated with mushroom-dyed fiber which had been prepared
in the morning dye workshop. Some favorite colors were the lavender
from Omphalotus olivascens and the beautiful rust from Pisolithus
tinctorius.

Some
were dubious that the flat felt "pancake" they were making would
ever develop into a beautiful 3-dimensional piece, but they did.
Everyone was pleased with the colorful and creative work they had
made. Hopefully some will be inspired to go on creating with felt
and mushroom dyes, but all had a very personal souvenir of SOMA Mushroom
Camp!

Felt
being made around a form. During the felting process netting is used
to contain the fibers while hot, soapy water is rubbed in.

Felt
bowl still on the form, ready to be opened and shaped into its final
form. Finished bowl below is drying with a small towel tucked inside
to help hold its shape.